CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - No. 1 Boston College men's hockey finished off a weekend sweep of No. 11/10 Massachusetts, 6-4, in front of 7,008 fans inside Kelley Rink on Sunday afternoon. The win propelled the Eagles to 23-5-1 overall and 15-3-1 in Hockey East.
Freshman Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass.) scored back-to-back power plays goals, 58 seconds apart, to tie and take the lead midway through the third period. BC went on a 5-on-3 advantage as Leonard knotted the game within 20 seconds of the two-man advantage. His go-ahead goal to make it 5-4 at the 11:01 mark was good for his first career hat trick.
The game started at a breakneck pace with only three stoppages in the first six minutes. At 6:44, BC's all-freshman line broke through with a goal by Leonard; his third of the weekend. Gabe Perreault (Hinsdale, Ill.) threaded a pass out front to Leonard from behind the net for the shot and score.
Perreault doubled the Eagles' lead in the final minute of the first on a power play goal. After Will Smith (Lexington, Mass.) was denied for the third time, Perreault picked up the rebound and scored top-shelf from the right side of the net.
In the second, the Minutemen (16-9-3, 9-7-2 HEA)scored three straight goals in the span of 3:23 to take a 3-2 lead with the tying and go-ahead goals by Aydar Suniev just 29 seconds apart. Boston College got the equalizer at 15:17 as a shot from sophomore defenseman Lukas Gustafsson (Atlanta, Ga.) was deflected over the shoulder of UMass goalie Mike Hrabal by graduate Jamie Armstrong (Warwick, R.I.).
Massachusetts held Boston College to just one shot on net in the first eight minutes of the third period, while the Minutemen got five shots on net. The fifth shot of the period from an open Dan Locmelis in the slot, off a feed from Samuli Niinisaari, into the back of the net.
For the game, BC outshot UMass, 46-24. Hrabal stood between the pipes for 40 saves, while Fowler needed just 20 to get the win.
SCORING
1st 6:44 BC Ryan Leonard (Gabe Perreault, Charlie Leddy)
1st 19:12 BC Perreault (Will Smith, Eamon Powell) - PP
2nd 8:28 UM Kennoy Connors (Cam O'Neill, Ryan Ufko)
2nd 11:31 UM Aydar Suniev (Connors)
2nd 12:00 UM Suniev (Lucas Mercuri, Ryan Lautenbach)
2nd 15:17 BC Jamie Armstrong (Lukas Gustafsson, Jack Malone)
3rd 7:56 UM Dans Locmelis (Samuli Niinisaari)
3rd 10:03 BC Leonard (Smith, Powell) - PP
3rd 11:01 BC Leonard (Smith, Malone) - PP
3rd 18:15 BC Cutter Gauthier (Oskar Jellvik)
GAME NOTES
- BC is 12-4-1 against ranked opponents this season.
- BC has won eight in a row against UMass.
- Leonard extended his season-best point streak to 13 games and goal streak to four games. He has scored seven times in the last four games.
- Leonard recorded his first career hat trick and the first by an Eagle since Cutter Gauthier at Merrimack (1/19).
- Perreault extended his point streak to 15 games.
- Perreault recorded his 18th multi-point game of the season and fifth in the last six games.
- Powell extended his point streak to eight games.
- Smith extended his point streak to 15 games.
- Smith recorded his second three-assist game of the season and the fifth by an Eagle this year.
UP NEXT
Boston College welcomes Vermont to Kelley Rink for a two-game set beginning Friday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. on NESN.
